The National Shortage Of Nurse Anesthetists - What Can Be Done?

 

THE DILEMMA

Healthcare in general continues to be "short-handed" relative to the number patients they see each day. This is due to the aging population and the inability of health care providers to meet the demands of patients who need their services.

This is especially concerning for Nurse Anesthetists and those working in rural areas. AANA estimates that Nurse Office based anesthesia Anesthetists are responsible for 65% of rural hospitals' anesthesia services. It is estimated that Nurse Anesthetists account for 65% of all anesthesia services in rural hospitals across the United States.

This is due to the shortage of CRNA's and the aging population.



EDUCATION

Education programs are not meeting the demand. We need more nurse anesthesia programs accredited in the country. There aren’t enough student slots and it is difficult to find faculty. We had 312 applicants for 85 slots in our August entering class," Kay Sanders, MHS and CRNA, director, graduate program in nurse anesthesia at Texas Wesleyan University. This is the largest program in nurse anesthesia in the United States.

AT A GLANCE

The following statistic is from RAND Corporation:

CRNA

Average age: 49

Average Experience: 17 Years

Urban Location: 44%

Average annual income: $151,380

Average Workweek: 37 hours

ACTION PLAN

Surveys show that there was a shortage in CRNA's within about 60% of the US states. The Northeast has the greatest shortage of CRNA's, while the West Coast actually had a surplus.

 

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